EDINBURGH'S iconic 42-metre ferris wheel is set to be axed over concerns the attraction is damaging trees in Princes Street Gardens.
The City of Edinburgh Council will hold an emergency leadership advisory panel meeting on Tuesday - where leaders of the authority's five political groups will make key decisions remotely, due to social distancing measures brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The five councillors will be asked to agree that the contract for the summer ferris wheel is not renewed because of concerns over the health of the surrounding trees.
A consultation on events taking place in Edinburgh's green spaces included comments that the ferris wheel is "a pointless unnecessary eyesore" and that it is "tacky and unoriginal".
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The ferris wheel is not expected to be relocated to another part of Princes Street Gardens or the wider city.
It is still not know whether the capital's summer festivals, which includes the ferries wheel as an atraction, will go ahead as planned amid social distancing measures.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society plans to announce “definitive answers” about its 2020 programme this week.
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In a report, council officials warn that "there have been concerns about the health of trees in the setion of the gardens where the wheel is located".
They added: "These have been considered and it is considered that the
area should not accommodate the use of heavy vehicles or siting of large structures in the future.
"It was not felt prudent to extend the contract for the wheel in its current location or to re-locate the wheel elsewhere either in East Princes Street Gardens or any other location in the city."
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Council leader Adam McVey said: "We’re proposing that the contract for the summer wheel isn’t take up again until the upcoming consultation on a public spaces management plan has been carried out.
"The outcome of this will include assessments of the health of the mature trees in the section of the gardens where the wheel is normally placed which will help determine the suitability of any future use of this part of the gardens.”
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